Like their fans, the Pittsburgh Steelers were watching the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs on TV this past weekend. Why? Because they had the week off due to a First-Round Bye as the #2 Seed in the American Football Conference (AFC) and they needed an opponent for the Divisional Round January 13-14.
Well, the Steelers will no longer have to wait, because they have their opponent in the Jacksonville Jaguars, who defeated the Buffalo Bills 10-3 on Sunday. This game was also made possible because of the downfall of the Kansas City Chiefs who were stunned by the Tennessee Titans in a 22-21 thriller Saturday Night. As a result, the Titans will travel to Foxboro to take on #1 seed and defending Super Bowl Champion New England Saturday night at 8:15 pm Eastern Standard Time.
This will be the second time this season that the Steelers will face the Jaguars. The first time, they were embarrassed by the Jaguars in a 30-9 defeat at Heinz Field. In that game, QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for 5 interceptions, 2 were returned for TDs. Big Ben made it known that he wanted to face the Jaguars again, and now he will get that chance. They also hope to have the NFL’s best WR back as well. All-Pro Antonio Brown missed the past 2 games due to a calf injury and will be a boost to an offense that won 2 games without him. The game is Sunday at 1 pm Eastern with the winner advancing to the AFC Championship Game.
In the NFC, top seeds Philadelphia and Minnesota had first-round byes and have their Divisional Round opponents as well as the Atlanta Falcons will travel to the City of Brotherly Love after beating the LA Rams 26-13 and the New Orleans Saints will move on to Minneapolis after getting by the Carolina Panthers 31-26. The Eagles/Falcons game will be Saturday at 4:35 pm Eastern and the Vikings/Saints game will be Sunday at 4:45 pm Eastern.
In Other NFL News: The Oakland Raiders officially hired Jon Gruden as their next Head Coach. Gruden takes over for Jack Del Rio who was basically forced out after 3 seasons and a 6- 10 record in 2017. Gruden coached the Raiders from 1998-2001 before getting traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gruden agreed to a 10-year deal worth $100 million and an ownership stake in the team,
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